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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, and the American Red Cross, will be conducting a Community Blood Drive on October 5, 2010.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010
2 PM to 8 PM
1800 Seton Drive
Crofton, MD 21114

If you’re able to donate blood, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS (733-2767) to schedule your donation time.

Despite the Chicken Little national headlines you read about, the real estate market in Anne Arundel County, MD is not collapsing. While there are some significant challenges in some States and areas, the data for Anne Arundel County hasn't show those negative effects. Take a look at the table below to see the latest results for July and Year to Date July for Anne Arundel County.

An almost 10% increase in closed sales year to date over the same period in 2009 is pretty significant. An 8.8% increase in pending sales is also pretty dramatic year over year. This is an indicator of future closed transactions.

Median sale price in the County dipped from $299,900 to $295,000. This figure means that half the homes in the county sold above $295,000, and half below that figure. That being said, homes sold for 92.3% of the original list price in 2010 compared to 90.7%  for the same period in 2009.

Days on the market, a critical indicator for sellers showed a decrease of -18.6%. It’s now taking, on average, 109 days to sell a house in Anne Arundel County, compared to 134 days last year.

Are we through with real estate challenges for a while? No. There could still be a downturn based on the economy in general. Unemployment continues to be a challenge for the nation, and Anne Arundel County as well. While we're a full 3 percent below the national average, any time unemployment is over 7%, it has to affect the real estate market.

While Countywide statistics are a good general indicator, not every section of the County is faring the same. If you're interested in your particular community, or neighborhood, I can help. Call Rich at 443-995-9595.

Chapman Farm, located just off of Reidel Ave., in Crofton, MD offers some outstanding opportunities for single family home ownership in the area. If you’re looking for a home in the Crofton, MD area, Chapman Farm should be high on your list of sub-divisions to visit.

Homes for sale in Chapman Farm are attractive because they were built in the mid-90’s, and most have finished basements, nine foot ceilings and maintenance free exteriors.

Homes in Chapman Farm, Crofton, MD can generally be purchased in the price range from mid $400’s to about $600K.

Chapman Farm also has one rental property listed for rent at $2,800/month.

Today, there are four homes for sale in Chapman Farm. All of them can be viewed on the map below. Just click on the icon and you can see a detailed view of the home for sale.

If you’re not already working with a Realtor and would like to see any homes for sale in Crofton, MD, or anywhere in the surrounding area, I can help. Call Rich at 443-995-9595.

Counties derive most of their revenue from real estate in most jurisdictions. In Anne Arundel County, MD, 47% of revenue is generated from property taxes.

Another source, albeit smaller, is also generated from real estate transactions. 5% of the revenue generated in our County comes from recording and transfer taxes on every sale.

As you can see from the chart below, the blue property tax bar has gone up consistently, even thru the difficult years. That’s because most Anne Arundel County property owners don’t pay taxes on the full assessed value of their home.

The red bar however, shows the decrease in transfer and recording taxes which was collected by the County. It’s very clear here that the real estate market hit its high in 2006 in Anne Arundel County, and has been in decline ever since.

All you have to do is ask the County Budget Officer whether the depression in real estate sales has hurt County revenues. In 2006, the revenue from recording and transfer taxes was $129.9M. This year it will be $56M, less than half. That money has to be made up somewhere, since it won't be generated from real estate.

Blue Bar = Property Taxes
Red Bar = Recording and Transfer Taxes

Crofton, MD added 5 new listings to the current inventory of 154 homes for sale last week. A nice combination of townhouses and single family homes priced from $219,000 to $449,000. You can see these new listings on the map below. Just click on the icon for a detailed listing.

Four houses went to settlement, having been sold, and two went under contract without kickouts. Three additional homes entered the full contract status, where all contingencies have been removed.

Three homes were withdrawn from the market.

On the Crofton, MD rental side, 3 new rentals became active last week. Two townhouses and one single family detached home. Applications were registered on four others and one rental was completed.

Last week was indicative of what seems to be a slowing real estate market in Crofton, MD. Showings are down on listings and buyer activity has been reduced since the elimination of the tax credit. The end of the summer, and the beginning of school does have an effect on the market as well.

If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in Crofton, MD, or anywhere in the surrounding area, I can help. Rich Iarossi, 443-995-9595 (C).

Don't get frustrated driving around Crofton, MD this weekend looking for Open Houses to tour. Not all Open Houses are advertised in the newspaper. The MLS allows agents to schedule open houses. All you have to do is click here to view the 10 Open Houses scheduled for Crofton, MD this weekend. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you can view all Crofton, MD Open Houses on a map.

Remember, when you visit an Open House, the agent in the property is representing the seller. I can provide you with FREE Buyer Representation to protect your interests. Call me at 443-995-9595.

If you see something that might interest you when touring Open Houses, give me a call...I can help.

Since the beginning of the year 199 homes have sold in the 21114 zip code, Crofton, MD. Of these, 17 have been bank owned properties, commonly referred to as foreclosures. This rate is low for the area compared to Bowie, MD for instance, which has a foreclosure rate for homes sold of about 38%.

Foreclosures can be a good deal for home buyers or investors. Crofton, MD currently has 11 foreclosures for sale in an inventory of 154 homes.

All of the foreclosures in Crofton, MD can be viewed on the map below. Just click on any icon and see detailed information on all Crofton, MD foreclosures.

If you would like to see preview any of the homes for sale in Crofton, MD, or the surrounding area, I can help.

Odenton, MD is ideally located close to several important employment markets. Ft. George G. Meade is just minutes away from just about anywhere in Odenton, MD. Several gates of Ft. Meade are in Odenton and more in adjacent Severn, MD. If you're relocating as a result of Permanent Change of Station (PCS), or the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) initiative, Odenton, MD should be high on your list of places to look.

Many buyers interested in purchasing in the area express interest in the Piney Orchard sub-division. The Piney Orchard area of Odenton is made up of several smaller sub-divisions, while there is also an umbrella Piney Orchard organization which controls facilities for the entire community.

There are several reasons to consider Piney Orchard in Odenton when purchasing a home including; nature trails, four pools, community center, parks and recreation fields...and the list goes on.

The Washington, DC and Baltimore employment markets are pretty much equidistant from Odenton and the Piney Orchard community. North to Baltimoremore and South to DC. The MARC train has a station in Odenton, making it an easy commute.

If you're looking for a home in Odenton, MD or anywhere in the surrounding area, I can help.

The map below shows the first 20 Active Listings in Piney Orchard, Odenton, MD. Click on any of the icons and it will show all Piney Orchard homes for sale, with additional details on each from the Multiple Listing Service.

Soon, the Eastern Seaboard will be in "peak season" for the leaves changing colors. Analagous to that, it seems that today is the "peak season" for political flyers hitting my mailbox. Those were today's offerings to the dead tree advertising Gods. My postman is dragging his butt through the neighborhood, and I'm sure he can't wait until this political season is done. BTW, they don't spend a lot of time in the house before being recycled. Sort of like real estate post cards.

Why so many? Tomorrow is Primary Day in Maryland. Have to get those last licks in before then. If they don't make it past tomorrow, they have to go back to their real jobs. There were a bunch of really nasty ones today. I guess they still believe that negative advertising still works.

Flyers, robocalls, standing on the highway and waving, aren't the behaviors that impress me. Actual accomplishments impress me. Unfortunately, many politicians, whether Local, State, or National, run on intentions, and not real accomplishments. They like to tell us what they "want" to do, not what they've actually done.

This is one of the few times that I have access to those incumbents, or wannabe incumbents. After they're in office, they're harder to find than a Unicorn. A few have knocked on my door and have left quite uncomfortable, when I asked them pointed questions. 

So I will revel in the attention I'm getting today, because I know that after tomorrow it will be another dry spell before the real elections in November.

If you don't vote tomorrow, don't complain. This is where it all starts.

Yesterday, the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association Parade was held in Crofton, MD. The last time Crofton was able to host this event was back in 2000.

Crofton residents, adults and children alike, lined Crofton Parkway to celebrate these brave volunteers. It was especially fitting to honor these first responders on the 9th anniversary of 9/11.

The weather was perfect and the firetrucks and equipment shined and polished.

The National and State Colors honored at the front of the Parade.

The obligatory open convertible. This one was even red.

Arundel was there in full force.

The Odenton Ladies Auxiliary marched on a perfect day.

Woodland Beach with one of the few white firetrucks.

Thanks Hillside.

Riveria Beach at the North end of the County.

One of the crowd favorites from West Annapolis.

Welcome Lake Shore.

Are we looking at future volunteers here? Scouts are always welcome.

Crofton residents, young and old, lining Crofton Parkway for the parade.

All photos and written content were produced by Richard Iarossi. Copyright 2010 - All Rights Reserved. This content may not be reproduced or reprinted, except for Active Rain Re-blogging, without express written permission of Richard Iarossi, REALTOR®, Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc., Crofton, MD.